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On a pitch at the top of the square was the hot potato machine, which was still in business in the 1940s.

Today’s scene, below, features a line-up of chain stores in place of the local shopkeepers of yesteryear. The former Woolworths store is now occupied by Poundland, while a statue of the legendary footballer Stanley Matthews has taken its place among the shoppers in the modern pedestrian precinct.

Upper Market Square, Hanley, in 2017

Can you recall the hot potato machine in Hanley? Please send your memories and photographs to Colette Warbrook, including your full name, address and telephone number, at The Way We Were, Sentinel House, Bethesda Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 3GN, or email waywewere@thesentinel.co.uk